Hide and Seek
by Awesome D.T
Summary: The unknown and unsolvable are always termed as freaks, monsters, danger to society. A mysterious race called Svets - human-resembling beings with supernatural powers - exist in hiding in a massive, high-tech underground city, hunted by humans. But the meeting between a young Svet and a ruthless ATS officer, sparks both races into a dangerous path . . . . (Semi-hiatus)
1. Prologue

**~ Author's Note ~**

**So, a new RikuKana fic. I'm not really sure I should be doing this but the plot bunnies have practically digested my brain. Not to mention, someone *cough* Silver Gold Moonlight *cough* 'requested' me to post this soon. So, here I am.**

**Inspired by X-Men.**

**Special thanks to Silver Gold Moonlight for beta-ing!**

Prologue

She stood on the edge of the hill, the wind around her filled with hot, black, putrid smoke and the revolting smell of gunpowder and blood. Her pink spaghetti dress, which had once been cute eye candy, was now tattered and soiled with blood specks all over. One of the straps was torn and the hem of her skirt had been violently ripped in two, exposing her striped underwear. Her short, brown hair was in tangled knots and sticking out in places.

But worst of all was the condition of her face, several cuts adorning them as blood leaked from her mouth; tears fell down her once fair, now dirty cheeks and snot dripped from her nose while she hurriedly tried to wipe it off with the back of her hand. And her right palm held a bloody shard of glass, which had been dirtied by the blood of the girl's cut-open palm.

The girl's horrified, blurry doe-like eyes were fixed on the bloodshed in her village, which was situated directly below the hill she was standing on.

Loud screams and groans of pain echoed through the valley, overshadowed by the loud bangs of gunshots and cannons. The girl could only stare in horror as the houses of her once-peaceful village were burned down . . . with people still inside them. Those 'un'fortunate enough to escape from their blazing homes were immediately shot down or slashed up by the ATS.

The eight-year old only had a blurry recollection of how she was the only one to be safe and alive on the top of the hill.

_As usual, she'd been sitting with her head on her mother's lap, as the woman told her a story of a young village girl who fell in love with a monster with a heart of gold. She'd even memorized the story's name, 'Beauty and the Beast' and how to write it down. It was her favorite fairytale._

_"Mama?" she asked, voice laced with curiosity "Why does Belle not dislike or be afraid of the Beast since he's so scary?"_

_Her mother put a kind, loving hand on her head as she hummed in thought. "Well," she said after a few seconds, "That's because even with his frightening and monstrous appearance, she realizes that he has a kind and soft heart inside him."_

_The girl just nodded in reply, playing with the hem of her mother's apron. After a few seconds, she asked, "Are we like the Beast, mother; scary outside, nice inside?"_

_The woman, who'd been running her hand softly through her daughter's hair, immediately stopped. The girl looked up only to see her usually cheerful Mama sporting a melancholic expression. The woman looked at her daughter and sadly smiled, "I don't know, Kana. But I know for sure we're not monsters."_

_"But then why do the humans call us that?" asked little Kana, clearly not understanding the heavy tone her mother used._

_Her mother pursed her lips, eyes brimming with confusion and a strange type of sadness. How could she avoid the curious eyes of the little, innocent girl on her lap? However, before she could answer, loud shouts were heard from outside and the door to their tidy little cottage burst open._

_"Youhime," it was the baker, "The ATS are here! RUN, hurry up!"_

_Kana could only remain still out of confusion as her mother's eyes widened in horror and a terrified whimper escaped her lips. Then, quickly composing herself, she lifted Kana up and handed her to the baker who immediately took the little eight-year old in his arms. Kana did not object or squirm as the baker was their good friend and even her Mama liked him._

_"Take Kana and run, Ruka" ordered Youhime as Kana watched her mother rush towards the large, steel box located in the corner of their small drawing room. She'd never seen the large structure open before. "Run as hard as you can."_

_"But Youhime," Ruka hesitated in the doorway, holding Kana on his shoulder "What about you?"_

_The long-haired brunette stopped her shuffling for things for a short time and turned to smile serenely at the two figures, loud gunshots echoing from outside their house. "I'll be fine."_

_Kana suddenly felt small water drops on her shoulders; source of it being the young baker Ruka. "Take care, Youhime," he sobbed in an inaudible voice before running outside with Kana hanging off his shoulder._

_The young eight-year old could make neither head nor tail of what was happening as she limply hung off Ruka's shoulder, taking in the chaotic scene around her. People were running here and there, screaming till their throats gave out. Young mothers tightly clutched onto the hands of their children and infants, begging strong men to save their child. An old couple desperately tried to run – which their useless legs refused to do – as they held each other's hand for comfort. Young men rushed out with spears and swords and shovels and any kind of weapon they could find, moving in the opposite direction from most of the people._

_But before Kana could ask Ruka what was happening, a loud boom was heard an entire area of houses a little distance after them was blown up in flames._

_And Kana's house was too close to the blasted area for comfort._

_"Shit." cursed Ruka, quickening his pace. There were people running all around them and Kana knew they were making it to the large exit gate that was on the border of their isolated little city, Hakuuryu. She could see the large, rusted iron structure in the distance and hear Ruka cry out, "Thank God!" in a shaky voice but apparently . . . . ._

_. . . . . . things weren't going towards the best yet._

_An army of soldiers dressed in red-and-black uniforms jumped out of the bushes surrounding the exit gate and started shooting at all the civilians. Horrified screams filled the air as a countless number of men, women and children were shot down. Ruka grunted in pain as a bullet hit his shoulder but his grip on Kana did not loosen. Instead, he rushed into the nearby house and immediately fell on the floor, gripping his arm._

_"Ruka-kun!" shouted Kana, worried as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Ruka-kun, you're bleeding! You're hit, Ruka-kun!"_  
_Ruka shakily smiled at Kana, obviously in a lot of pain. "You're okay, right Kana-chan?" The little brunette shakily nodded, streams of tears falling down her cheeks as she hiccupped. The baker tried to sit up, giving short grunts of pain as he gripped his fervently bleeding arm. Gunshots and screams could be heard from outside and Ruka knew it would only be a matter of time before the ATS found and killed him and Kana-chan._

_So, as the little girl cried into her hands, Ruka said in a low voice "Kana-chan, look at me." The girl stopped sobbing and stared at him with tearful eyes, shivering violently. Her large eyes were filled with unspeakable terror, asking the question 'Are we gonna die?' But Ruka was in no position to answer that question._

_Instead, he spoke in a low, raspy voice "You know where the exit gate's located, right Kana-chan?" he asked to which the brunette shakily nodded. He bit his lip from screaming out in pain and continued speaking "I need you to go there and get out of this place."_  
_"What about y-"_

_"I'll come," he hissed in pain and his snappy reply brought a scared expression to the girl's face. In a softer voice and with a kinder smile, he said "I'll come after I get your mom, Kana-chan. We'll both come for you together. Just wait on the hill alright?"_

_Kana just stared at him silently, not sure how she should respond. Could she . . . . . go out there on her own? Could she really do this alone? She stared at the floor with doubt clouding her eyes. "I-I'm scared."_

_Ruka gritted his teeth, his vision getting hazy. He had to get Kana out of here. She stood a chance with her barrier ability – to survive this mass murder._

_"Please, Kana-chan" he whispered, his voice low and desperate "Please run. After" he gritted in pain "I get your mom, we-we'll" he was starting to feel faint now "We'll get married and live together like a happy family."_

_Kana's eyes widened. Like a . . . . . family? Images of her, holding Mama's and Ruka-kun's hand and going on long walks along the beach - she'd heard so much about in fiction – was appealing and strangely happy. After a moment of thinking, she shakily stood up on her knees. "Your wound, Ruka-kun," she whispered, staring at the bloody bullet-hole on his arm._

_He smiled shakily, chest heaving up and down heavily due to pain and murmured, "It's nothing, Kana-chan. It'll heal soon and I'll save your mom and come for you." He then gestured towards broken glass pieces, from a shattered window, lying on the floor and said, "Take the largest one and go through the back door. And if you see anyone coming at you." his eyelids dropped "Don't forget to use your powers."_

_Kana did as he said and reached out for the largest shard of glass she saw, wincing slightly when it cut her palm a little, allowing her blood to drip down. But she still didn't let go of it, holding tightly on Ruka-kun's words. She slowly walked towards an almost unconscious Ruka and holding out her pinky finger, smiled a little, "Promise you'll come?"_

_He smiled back, eyelids droopy, as his pinky slowly made its way to coil around Kana's. "I pro-"_

_The door to the house burst open and a large-built, hideously ugly, bald man grinned at a terrified Kana and said "I found you, you little Svet."_  
_"Run, Kana-chan!" screamed Ruka as the brunette took to her feet, clutching the glass-shard more tightly. "Activate your shield!" Ruka screamed and Kana did as told, concentrating on her willpower till a circular, transparent barrier surrounded her in a pale yellow light._

_"Why you little-" the ATS soldier cursed but before he could take a step forward, Ruka latched on his leg. The bleeding young man smirked creepily before taking out a small tube out from his pants pocket. "What the f-" but before he could complete his sentence, Ruka had knocked the lid off and a small blast occurred which caused Kana to turn back._

_"MY FACE! MY FACE!" screamed the large man from before, as he writhed on the ground with unbearable agony. A group of ATS soldiers came running into the house but after that Kana turned forward, naively praying she and Mama and Ruka would make it out of the village._

_All along her running, she saw people get murdered by being continuously shot or having their throats slit or getting their heads slashed off but none of the ATS soldiers could harm Kana. Many soldiers shot at her but their jaws dropped in shock when the bullets just bounced off the walls of the transparent and barely visible barrier surrounding her like rubber balls bounce off walls._

_Tears were pouring in unrestrained streams down Kana's cheeks and confusion and fear were on the verge of choking her but she continued running, her eyes set ahead only on the large exit gate in the nearing distance._

_She still feebly held onto the promise Ruka made her._

_She still held onto the thought that Mama would again tell her about 'Beauty and the Beast' someday._

_And with innocently optimistic thoughts she climbed the stairs to the gate, believing she would be leaving this hell with Mama and Ruka-kun._

_She once fell down the stairs, scraping herself against some wild shrubs as they tore her clothes and caused several cuts on her face. But ignoring the numbing pain in her legs, she quickly got to her feet and ran up again before any ATS soldier could notice her._

_She still believed that there would be happiness for her somewhere in this forsaken world._

_Not aware of the fact that there was an even more dangerous hell outside this._

Kana stood on the edge of the hill, the truth about her situation finally dawning on her now that she was alone.

Ruka wouldn't be coming for her.

There would be no more stories from Mama anymore.

No one was there for her now.

**She was all alone – left to fight on her own in this cruel nightmare.**

She gripped the shard even more tightly in her hands, the never-stopping tears on the verge of blinding her. She slowly lifted the shard, pointing its sharp tip near her neck. There was nothing for her now – so why should she even live anymore? She didn't want to remain anymore in this nightmarish world. She just wanted to die.

A loud explosion occurred and the shard flew towards her neck. But then . . . .

. . . . A warm touch.

"What are you doing?!" asked a young male voice, laced with shock and disbelief. Opening her blurry eyes, she stared into what seemed like soft, dark honey-colored two circles filled with warmth and kindness. And they turned out to be someone's eyes.

A human's eyes.

The boy, who seemed to be a few years older than her, took away the shard of glass from her hands and threw it below the cliff. "Never try to take your life again," he said in a stern voice but with hints of kindness "Life is a gift which needs no insurance, after-charges or payment." He grinned. "Or at least that's what Dave Nauro said."

"But what if you have got nothing to live for?" she whispered, her eyes downcast, voice laced with bitter resentment ,"What if everything you had is just thrown away in the blink of an eye?"

The boy put his index finger on his chin, spectacles gleaming in the sunlight. For that moment, Kana seemed to have forgotten the loud gunshots and screams that emanated from Hakuuryu. Then, seemingly satisfied with his answer, the boy grinned "Then find something new to live for!"

Kana stared at him, seemingly basking in the glow of his happiness. His warm brown hair, his kind dark eyes, his effervescent smile . . . . they all had that pure glow about them, that radiates from a source to everyone, spreading light.

The boy walked towards the cliff, his eyes sad as they stared at the bloodbath going below. "I'm sorry," he whispered, turning back and making Kana look up in surprise. "Your parents" he hesitated "did they . . .?"

At the mention of family, all the painful things Kana had seen seemed to hit her like a landslide and her palm started aching excruciatingly, her head becoming dizzy. She slowly knelt to the ground and the boy walked towards her with worried eyes "Hey! Are you-"

She blacked out.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Hunted

**D.T's Shout-out Box:**

**To Princess: I KNOW! ;) JK, JK. Yes, this is dark AND gruesome. It was . . . . I think.**

**To Fede: Thank you! There, there. *pats* Actually, you'll find out more about the Svet's 'powers.' HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW THERE WOULD BE A TIME JUMP? O.O**

**To Nay-kun: I'd written AFTER Under the Darkness ends (which hasn't ended). Oh, believe me, I've got HUGE plans for this story. HUGE. And thank you for the constructive criticism though there's a big story behind why Rikuo's acting like that. Don't apologize.**

**To 'a random person': Hey there! Why don't you make an account on FF? Thanks for the compliment. Yes, this is AU.**

**To Rose: Girl, you should get the award for 'Best and Longest Review.' I'll give it to you now. *hands award as audience cheers and claps* The plot bunnies for this fic were torturing me so I HAD to publish it.**

**To Dennou-san: Join the dark side . . . . . We have ICE-CREAM!**

**Thank you for the support! You guys are THE BEST!**

**MEGA THANKS to Silver Gold Moonlight for rescuing my story from being a grammar horror.**

**Ch. 1 – The Hunted**

_In all time, there has never been a greater monster or miracle than a human being._

9 years later

It was a full moon night but the gloomy clouds that hovered in the sky threw a blanket of darkness over midnight Tokyo. The roads were empty and most people were snuggled in the warm covers of their beds at home while relatively few were still partying in nightclubs or toiling away in offices. Dogs howled in the distance, taking shelter under bus stands and shop porches to rest for the night. In a posh neighborhood street where shopping marts were scattered around, a figure rushed into one of the stores, the door opening itself for her.

Or so it seemed.

The figure was clad in a grey hoodie with a large Hello Kitty drawn on the front, an ugly, pleated yellow skirt, purple-and-pink stripped thigh highs and old, red high tops. After making sure that no one was around the empty store, it took out an old cell phone from its black bag and dialed on a number that already existed on the screen.

One ring. Two rings. Three rin- Brr.

"Are the cameras blocked?" the figure whispered in a low voice, brown eyes darting around every moment as it hid behind a large shelf filled with chocolate bars.

"Yes, what do you think I've been doing all this time?" came a snappy reply from the other end.

The figure flinched and said in a timid voice "Sorry. But I was just checking."

A sigh was heard. "Well, hurry up. We don't have all night." The figure nodded but before it could cut off the phone, the person on the other end said "And Kana, don't forget to get me a Hershey's." And with that, the line was off.

Kana Ienaga put her phone in a small side-pocket of her black bag as she looked around the large grocery store, eyes lingering on the threatening black cameras scattered in various corners of the large mart. But she knew she didn't need to worry about them since her friend had already taken care of those devices. So, she walked to the 'Dairy Department', her mobile switched on for light and opened the refrigerator. She took in the mouthwatering smell of ice-cream as she stuffed three large cartons of milk, a few packets of cheese and a big box of 'Baskin and Robbins – Chocolate Chip and Cookie' ice-cream in her large bag.

Next, she walked to the 'Cereal Department' and picking up a trolley, put a two-kilo pack of rice, oil, wasabi sauce, packed meat, a carton of eggs, miso paste and before she could forget, a couple of Hershey bars. She was just making her way to the 'Condiments Department' when-

_Ting-ling_. The sound of keys being turned through a keyhole echoed through the silent mart.

The door to the mart opened and torchlight flickered. Kana covered her mouth to keep from gasping out to loud and quickly tucked her phone into the side pocket of her black bag and squatted on the floor. Fortunately, the 'Condiments Department' was quite far-off from the main door.

Slow, groggy footsteps could be heard accompanied by a low, muttering voice. Peeking out from behind the shelf, she saw a middle-aged man, dressed in a red bathrobe that did nothing to hide his beer gut, come into view, yawning as he seemingly searched for something, flashing his torchlight around. Kana was barely able to hide out of view as his torchlight momentarily flickered to the shelf where the brunette was hiding.

"Now where is that fuckin' Paprika stored . . . . . ." she could hear him mutter out loud and her breath got caught in her throat. Slowly looking up, she saw the Paprika stock right above her head.

_Shit._

Praying fervently that the man wouldn't know where the Paprika was stored, she peeked from behind the shelf again but failed to see the man where he'd previously been standing. As her brown eyes darted around the place, wondering where the man could've possibly disappeared to, she did not see a large hand hover over her head.

"Found it" came the groggy mutter as the man from before picked out a paprika bottle right from over Kana's head. Almost scared to death, Kana let out a small squeak but immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, her body becoming rigid.

The man, who'd turned around to walk out, immediately turned back, shouting "Who's there? WHO'S THERE?!" He wildly swung his torch around, checking every nook and cranny of the store but fortunately, not behind the shelf he was standing before. Kana tightly closed her eyes, clutching on the strap of her bag. From what she'd seen, the man hadn't noticed the filled trolley that was only a few steps away from him or if he had, had just decided to ignore it.

After checking the store two more times, the man switched off his torchlight and began walking out. Once he was out of the door, Kana quietly scampered out from behind the shelf and grabbed her trolley, ready to escape through the back door. She dialed the same number again and this time the phone was picked up after one ring. "Yura, open the back door. I'm coming." The sound of the man locking the front door from outside could be heard.

As if on cue, the soft sound of the back door unlocking barely reached the brunette's ears and she quickly sped towards it, pushing the trolley in front of her. The man was climbing down the steps of the mart when . . . . .

Kana tripped on a ridge in the marble floor. And fell sideways, crashing into the chocolate shelf.

A large clutter of boxes and tins followed, all falling on top of the shocked brunette who seemed to have hit her knee pretty hard on the marble floor as it started throbbing, the pain gradually increasing with every passing second. From outside, she could hear the shopkeeper's loud exclamations and the keys hurriedly turning in the keyhole and panicking, she quickly scampered to her feet, crushing various packets of chocolate.

The door smashed open just in time as Kana reached her trolley, pushing it with considerable strength as she put her hoodie over her head and opened the back door with one hand.

"STOP THERE, YOU BITCH!" shouted the man, his torchlight glaring into Kana's back as she rushed into the midnight alley, the chilly wind harshly hitting her face. Removing her bangs from her eyes, she continued running, pushing the filled trolley ahead as well. It was quite a tiring task, as how she had to use her strength and speed at the same time – but it was nothing she'd never done before.

Winding through different alleys, Kana rushed past a shocked couple as the shopkeeper's screams of "COME BACK, YOU BITCH!" faded into the distant background. Her knee had started throbbing a little less painfully now but both her lungs and legs were burning with the want of oxygen.

But she couldn't stop now. Home was only a little distance away.

She ran and puffed and panted until she finally stopped in front of a small, old wooden shed in an abandoned field. Panting, she opened the door and pushed the trolley in, once checking behind her back to make sure that no one was following her. After confirmation, she closed the door and walked in.

The shed was a bare place with no furniture and just a stack of old hay in a small corner. It looked pretty empty and useless but good for a hiding spot with floor covering consisting of paper. Kana walked towards the hay and pushed it aside, revealing a large hole in the ground. Pulling her trolley and slowly pushing it down the small number of steps that led further underground, she herself walked in but not before placing the hay over the large hold until the area was in complete darkness.

Switching on her cell phone, Kana found herself standing in a large, black tunnel which differentiated into three, smaller black tunnels in the left, middle and right directions. "R-3, 2, 3" Kana muttered under her breath, walking into the black tunnel that led to the right. After walking for some more distance, she found another set of identical tunnels almost similar to the first one she'd encountered. Without hesitation, she walked into the middle tunnel.

And after a few hundred meters, she faced her last obstacle; the last three identical tunnels. Without even stopping for a bit, she again turned to the right.

Finally, giving a small sigh, she reached large, closed steel doors that somehow looked out of place with the dark, rocky cave.

There was a small camera on top of the steel door that a person, who didn't know about its location beforehand, would never have seen it. Kana stared directly into the camera and said in sequence "Kana Ienaga. Scavenger. A. June 23, 1997." The camera took out a laser and after checking Kana's doe-like, hazel colored eyes thoroughly, the steel doors opened.

Even though the Svets were forced by the humans to go into hiding and had to _steal _food to sustain themselves, people would never believe how good they were at technology. Or how good circumstances had forced them to be.

Once the steel gates had opened, Kana found herself on a large balcony that overlooked a huge underground city – Yume City – the largest city inhabited by the Svets in Japan, which was directly located under Tokyo. And the humans who thought so highly of themselves hadn't even had an inkling of an idea of the large, sprawling metropolis that lay right under their noses.

Yume looked like a normal city, with houses ranging from small cottages to large cottages but the only difference was that artificial lights were set up on the ceiling which was 60 m high. And there was also an average-sized but perennial underground river which fulfilled people's daily needs. Also, though the Svets of Yume were technology-efficient, their standard of living was mostly a little below average. Only 10% of Svets enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle.

Pushing the heavy trolley in front of her, Kana walked down a slanting platform, her high-tops making a low, squeaky noise against the slippery marble floor. She carefully held onto the railing (since falling down a slanting platform had always been a scary experience for her, no matter how many times it happened) and she hoped it was one of those lucky days when she wouldn't fall. Fortunately, it was, and she was able to reach the Main Office without slipping or stubbing her toe.

The M.O was a large building that was the first building one saw when they entered Yume. It was an army-like building with cold, imposing gray walls, few windows which were always covered with shutters and stone-faced inhabitants. Kana, a familiar face in the M.O, straightaway walked towards the "Grocery Department" to check in the stuff she'd brought.

Svets were a species with a very low population, Yume being the most populated city they inhabited in Japan and having a population of a little over 30,000. So in the Svet culture, once 13, you were considered to be of a legal age for working. Svets working for the Government were divided into different groups; Scavengers, who stole food and other necessary items from humans; Technicians, who were in charge of mechanizing the whole city; Scientists, who studied about their own species and way to counter their DNA (so humans would accept them); Soldiers, to defend themselves from humans; and finally, Explorers, who looked for new settlements the Svets could stay in. They were paid according to the quantity and quality of work they did.

Ever since her 13th birthday, Kana had always been a Scavenger (though the first few months had been difficult with Itaku or Awashima always butting in to save her). But the dedication and love she felt towards her family had helped her learn quickly and she'd soon turned into a professional grocery thief.

Though she did occasionally – make that often – stumble. It's huma- er, Svet – to commit mistakes .

Thankfully, there was a short line tonight and after only 15 minutes, Kana found herself face to face with Ryota, the officer who was in charge of the 'Grocery Department.' He was a young man of 22, on the shorter side and with a cat-like face. The area around his left eye was burnt (due to an attack from humans on his village when he'd been young) and his dark eyes always had a playful light. Kana was fond of him as he was nice to her and paid her more than what she deserved and in return, she always brought an extra carton of milk for him and his three kitties. "Hey there, Ryota," she smiled, stifling an emerging yawn.

Ryota smiled back at her and said in his usual cheerful tone, "Hi, Kana-chan! You look tired so let's get this over with quickly so you can go and rest!" Saying that, he fished out a wad of Sventers (the Svet currency) which was more than the amount Kana should get.

The brunette smiled gratefully at him and secretly handed him a carton of his favorite milk. Ryota's eyes immediately brightened and he gave a Kana a short hug, whispering ,"Thank you." Kana slightly blushed before smiling at him, sighing in relief.

Now she could finally go home.

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The small house located in the Inugamigyobu Area was dark but when Kana turned the knob, it opened without reluctance. "So Kejoro-nee-san is still out at work" she muttered before walking in, locking the door and proceeding to take off her shoes. The Ienaga Household was a small house with two floors. The ground floor comprised of a common bathroom, a bedroom and a kitchen and dining room while the first floor had a small balcony, a larger bedroom and a room which belonged to the house's mentor and the person who'd given refuge to four orphan girls; Grandpa Sodemogi.

A photo with an incense holder and a small vase in front of it was hung up near the porch, the light smell of lavender incense filling the small but neat house. Kana stared at the photo of a smiling old man with a bald head and a short stature and whispered "I'm home, Grandpa."

Kana first walked into the fridge, putting the ice-cream, cheese and one carton of milk she'd saved for her family in the freezer. She saw a bowl of dishes lying near the sink but deciding she was too tired, kept them for the next morning. She slowly trudged up the steps to her room, only to be greeted with a small light illuminating the dark corridor and the sound of fingers typing on a keyboard.

Opening the already ajar door, Kana was greeted by the faces of her two 'adopted' sisters. The younger one was sprawled on one side of the large bed, dressed in pink pajamas with her long, curly black hair sprawled all over the bed. 10-year old Kyokotsu's chest rose and fall, her breathing easy and face peaceful and clearly not bothered by the rapid clicking sound the room's other inhabitant was making.

15-year old Yura was huddled in the middle of the bed, leaning on the headboard as she typed away with ruthless efficiency on her laptop. Her dark brown eyes were focused on the long pages of documents invading the screen. Kana had one look at what her dear sister was working on and immediately turned away, head swimming with the mass of confusing numbers and sentences present on the page. She always wondered how Yura did it but being a Technician often had decent pay.

As Kana lay down on the bed, tired and legs hanging off the edge, Yura quickly asked, "My Hershey's?" The brunette glared at her in annoyance but seeing as the short-haired girl did not even glance at her, she sighed loudly and pushed the half-melted chocolate bar towards her. Yura momentarily stopped typing, picked up the bar, peeled off the wrapper and devoured it in 5 seconds.

Kana stared at her, suppressing a yawn again. "Didn't you have dinner?" she muttered in a sleepy voice, sitting up so she could take off her hoodie and thigh-highs and get to sleep.

Yura, still typing with focused eyes, replied, "Sandwiches. Bleh." She stuck her tongue out for emphasis.

Now only wearing a plain white shirt and her skirt, Kana snuggled under the covers, since it was a cold night. Staring at Yura through half-lidded eyes, she muttered, "Aren't you going to sleep?" The 15-year old was still dressed in her attire of a full-sleeved, tight-fitting shirt which had horizontal black and white stripes and a mid-thigh reaching, camo-printed dungaree.

With tireless eyes still focused on her laptop, Yura muttered, "You go off to sleep. I still have a little work left."

Kana was slowly drifting off now, even among the rapid clicking noises made by her sister. "Don't overexert yourself," she whispered, the last part of her sentence fading into mumbling.

Yura momentarily glanced at her before replying, "Just sleep already. You sound like a fucking zombie." But even before she'd completed her sentence, Kana had drifted off into the wonderful world called "Dreamland."

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It was a chilly morning the next day. Svet teens shuffling to school decided to wear warm clothes, hoping the day wouldn't get anymore chillier. Underground, with no sunlight to warm your bodies, even the month of August could be as cold as Alaska in November.

Kana was wearing a full-sleeved red sweater from inside and her signature Hello Kitty hoodie on the top. Yura had donned a dark blue zip up jacket with the chain pulled up to her neck. Both girls walked through an array of teenagers to one of the only two schools in Yume – and that too the better one. Due to the school's owner and the leader of their area, Danuki Inugamigyobu, being an old acquaintance of their 'grandfather' Sodemogi, Kana, Yura and Kyokotsu were allowed free schooling.

The 10-year old had left for school earlier than the other two since both the older girls had woken up late due to last night's events. But they knew their homeroom teacher, Gappa-sensei, wouldn't really mind much.

'Yume High' was an average-sized school with a large, rusty metal gate at the entrance and walls colored a dull blue and a cheerless yellow. Most of the students were already seated in class as Kana and Yura entered but one bench in the front row and two of the benches in the back row were empty. And everyone knew very well who those benches belonged to.

"We'll be having a test on Biology today," said Gappa-sensei in his usual melancholic voice. He was a sad-faced man above 50, with bushy black hair and beard and a melancholic look in his eyes. For some reason, he always seemed to be dressed in over-sized ancient Japanese clothing. "The chapter is 'Water Resources," he explained as a student handed out the tests.

As soon as Kana had a look at her test paper, she mentally started crying. _I haven't even read this chapter once! _She internally whined, small tears pricking in the corners of her eyes. Turning over to look at Yura, her expression was more disheartened. The black-haired girl had a calm expression on her face and had already started writing. _And I'm supposed to be the older one . . . . ._

However, Kana knew that she could write at least something and therefore, started pondering on the first question. _Name at least 5 effluents that pollute water,_she internally read. _Hmm, _tapping her pen on her chin, Kana settled into her 'thinking mode.' _Agricultural waste, fertilizers, domestic waste, medical waste and . . . . and . . . . and . . . . _She started sweating, clutching her head. _Whatwasitwhatwasitwhatwasit . . . . . . Dammit, I knew it! _Just when she was about to give up, the answer slowly started coming to her mind. _Aha! _She thought punching her right fist into her left hand, _it was-_

"INCOMING!" came a loud yell from outside and before anyone could contemplate what was actually happening, there was a loud crash as the door to the classroom burst open and two figures crashed into the teacher's desk. Thankfully, Gappa-sensei had been standing in the back of the classroom (to make sure no one was cheating) so everyone had survived the accident.

The two huddled figures slowly got up – actually, one of them got up in a whir of speed and was seated with a test paper, looking innocently at his classmates. The second one screamed at his friend "How can you abandon me, Itaku?"

The black-and-white haired boy blinked emotionlessly, staring at his blond friend. "I did not abandon you, Awashima. What are you talking about?"

"You cheater!" yelled the blond boy aggressively, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend. "You cannot take the test paper and start before me!" Itaku just rolled his eyes.

From the back of the class, Gappa-sensei coughed, catching the two boys' attention as they turned to look at him in fear. These two pranksters were the frequent subjects of Gappa-sensei's uncanny punishments. "Itaku," the boy froze. "Awashima," the blond stiffened. Gappa-sensei, though still melancholic-looking, had eyes glinting dangerously. "You both will write 20 papers each."

_And that day, in Yume city, an avalanche occurred due to the rather girly screams of two high school boys._

_Not to mention I forgot the last point. Damn you, Itaku and Awashima!_


	3. Chapter 2 - The Hunters

**~ Appreciation Corner ~**

**Special thanks to Gold Moonlight, Lord Nayrael, Dennou Writer, Rose Rain 7, A random person, Fede 194, Winged Clouds of Strife and Lady of Gray for following this story.**

**Special thanks to Princess Gold Moonlight for her AWESOME beta work. :3**

**Ch. 2 – The Hunters**

_The longer you gaze into an abyss, the sooner the abyss will gaze back at you._

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_Pain._

_Pain, pain and more PAIN. It shot through her body like an electric current, seemingly burning her nerves to a crisp. Her throat felt parched and dusty, like the surface of sandpaper, while her eyes seemed to burn and throb excruciatingly._

_She kicked her limbs around weakly; trying her best to grab at anything that came in her way but all her tired hands and legs ever met was . . . . air. Her eyes felt too weak to open and finally, her punches and kicks started weakening, slowly dying down to feeble flails._

_Kana could feel herself passing away, into a big, black void of endless darkness, which seemed to slowly swallow her whole body, bit-by-bit. Breathing was getting more difficult now, every breath she took feeling like burning embers travelling through her nostrils. The pain was present in every part of her body and she couldn't even pinpoint the location it was spreading from._

'_At least, it's okay now' her sub consciousness told her, as she slowly felt herself swallowed by the darkness. 'You'll soon be with mama' it – or rather she – said in a raspy, gentle voice, followed by a small giggle. At any other time, Kana would've been horrified at how could one sound so happy at the thought of dying._

_But then . . . . . it was perfectly reasonable for her to be happy. Dying was the only choice she had left now._

_So the eight-year old decided to be content and pass off into the other world with a smile on her face, hoping she'd look as pretty as Sleeping Beauty did. And the darkness finally reached her face, slowly throwing its untainted black blanket over her dirty, tear-stained, blood-speckled face._

_Suddenly, she felt a warm hand trace lightly over her forehead, the darkness fading as soon as it came in connection with the hand._

_But that was not all. The darkness was immediately replaced by a trail of warm, pale yellow light that seemed to spread through her body, numbing all the pain and spreading a warm, secure feeling in its place._

_And a kind, loving voice called out her name. "Kana?"  
_

"_Kana?"_

"Kana?"

The brunette's eyes drowsily shot open to the feeling of some cold, metallic thing poking her on her cranium. As she slowly sat up on the bench, yawning and simultaneously rubbing her eyes, her blurry eyesight fixed on a familiar, apathetic face staring at her. "Itaku?" she murmured, finally sitting up straight.

"Gross," he bluntly remarked and Kana stared at him with a confused expression. Pulling away, he said placidly "Wipe off that disgusting drool from your mouth." After processing his words for a few seconds, the brunette's cheeks flushed a dark red of embarrassment as she hastily tried to wipe off the saliva with her hoodie's sleeve, rubbing on the left corner of her mouth. Putting his hands behind his head, the male mumbled, "We're in the library. Come soon."

And in a fraction of a second, he had disappeared.

Looking around the empty classroom, Kana realized it must've been lunch break. Had she really slept through three periods straight? Sighing, she pushed back her chair, which made a creaky, unpleasant noise and began to slowly walk towards the library on the second floor. But before she left, she checked the first bench to make sure if _he'd _arrived or not.

And sure enough, there was a black briefcase bag on the first bench in the middle row. _He _never failed to come to school, no matter how late.

As Kana stepped out of the classroom, a group of running elementary-graders passed by her, their excited giggles and loud footsteps echoing through the large building even after they had disappeared behind the intersection. She felt a small smile come to her face at their happiness. Restrictions hadn't broken their content spirit.

_Just a few more years and they'll be 13,_she sighed, making her way through the empty corridors to the library. Unlike her and Yura, who _had to_ make a living to support themselves, the parents of most children forced them to take up jobs after their 13th birthday, often making them dropouts who could never complete their education. Greed seemed to cage everybody in its evil clutches.

But Kana wasn't going to let that happen with Kyokotsu. Even if they had to scrape by, she would make sure to NEVER, EVER let her sister live a life like that or leave school.

Climbing up a long flight of stairs, Kana stared outside the window at the artificial playground outside, which was littered with most of the students running here and there. The Inugamigyobu family had really done their best to create the finest atmosphere they could for the children of Yume. And she respected them a lot for that.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, she turned to the left, the familiar, rapid clicking of keyboard keys coming from a near distance. She quickened her pace, wanting to get out of the cold as she wondered why exactly she'd been called. The faint clicking sounds were coming from the library, which was to the extreme left of the corridor. Kana began rubbing her hands on her arms to warm them, breaking into a small jog before stopping in front of the door.

"You're slow," Itaku appeared suddenly before her, causing the brunette to give a small yelp as she fell down on her butt. No matter how many times this had happened she somehow never got used to the sudden attacks her friend gave her.

As she got up, rubbing her butt, Kana peeked in to see the others were already seated. The librarian was checking some documents in the front and turned to glance at Kana only for a few seconds before turning back her attention to the work at hand. On the far left of the room, seated in a group were Yura, Awashima, Itaku and . . . . Tamazuki.

Tamazuki Inugamigyobu . . . . son of Danuki Inugamigyobu, one of the four richest Svets to live in Yume and the owner of the Inugamigyobu Complex and Yume High. Yume city had originally been a dead town before 20 years ago it was converted into Japan's most Svet-populated underground city by four wealthy Svets, Inugamigyobu Danuki being one of them. To divide the city equally, it was divided into four regions; north, south, east and west. The south region was under the Inugamigyobu family's control and everyone residing there had to pay their taxes to him.

Well, everyone except the Ienaga household. Sodemogi-sama being its proprietor and a highly respected mentor to the Inugamigyobu family not only were Kana and her sisters left off from taxes but also got free schooling.

"Good morning, Kana-chan," wished Tamazuki, his calculative, golden eyes staring at her hesitant, hazel ones. For some reason, his eyes always made her uncomfortable; they held a cold, sadistic glint in them. She always felt he could pierce into her soul with those alluring eyes of his and immediately activated her barrier, which not only protected her from physical attacks but also nullified any Svet powers which came within 5 meters range.

It came very handy when your classmate had such hypnotizing eyes.

"Give it up," Yura commented, her brown eyes fixed to the screen of her laptop. "You'll never be able to hypnotize her, _Tamazusa_."

The raven-haired boy scowled at her before retorting "Mind your own business, _Yuri_."

Kana sweat-dropped as she made her way to the only empty seat beside Itaku. Yura and Tamazuki were KNOWN for always making insulting jabs at each other and their hatred towards each other was so passionate that evil vibes could be felt whenever they were in the same room.

"S-So . . ." Kana awkwardly started, trying to change the topic "Has something interesting happened?"

Yura's eyes momentarily flashed towards the brunette before returning to her computer screen. Awashima, who was leaning back in his chair with his legs comfortably propped up on the table, grinned with closed eyes, "You bet."

Kana looked towards Yura for further information. But when the girl remained quiet, Tamazuki explained in her place "Yuri's successfully hacked into the database of one of ATS' branches: The S-squad."

The ATS: Anti Terrorist-Svet organization. The monsters who were the main reason for the caged lives led by the Svet. An organization of skilled 'cops' who exterminated Svets on sight and scouted many places for them. They had been the ones to destroy Hakuuryu. It was widely rumored that the ATS officers hid dark secrets but there had been no compound proof about it. Yet.

"For real?" Kana exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief and surprise. She was fully aware of Yura's abilities as a hacker but this . . . . seemed too good to be true._But if it's true, _she reminded herself, _The M.O's gonna pay an ENORMOUS amount for this information._

"Yes," was Itaku's reply, his expression grave. Kana was about to ask him if they'd be telling this to the M.O when he quickly replied "We aren't talking about this to ANYONE." He emphasized on the word 'anyone.' Kana opened her mouth again but he quickly cut her off, "Not even Kyokotsu."

"But why?" the brunette asked, alarmed. Kyokotsu was in their group. Shouldn't they trust her with it as well?

"She's too young to know," Yura finally spoke after a long period of time "And who knows when she'll open that nasty mouth of hers."

"You're one to talk" retorted Tamazuki, sneering at her.

Yura's fingers visibly tightened but she passed up the chance to retort. Kana, meanwhile, was a bit angry. "She's our sister! How can you talk about her like that?"

"It's for the better," Itaku replied instead, his eyes flickering towards Kana. "Do you really wanna involve her in all this?" The 17-year old brunette bit her lip trying to think up a suitable retort but none came to her mind. So she just settled with slowly shaking her head. They were right. Kyokotsu was too young to be burdened with secrets like these. She should enjoy her childhood while she still had the chance.

"Pushing all that aside," Awashima said, changing positions as he jadedly placed his cheek on his propped up right hand "How long is this gonna take? I'm bored."

"I'm not playing a videogame," Yura snapped, typing away with faster efficiency "But it's almost about to be done now."

And soon enough, there was a loud whirring noise that made the librarian look up in mild shock while the teens just awkwardly grinned at her. The librarian lost her interested expression, replacing it with a bored mask as she began filing her untidily painted nails. The whirring noise ultimately died down to a low murmur and Yura placed the laptop on the middle of the table so that everyone could have a good look at it.

The screen had a black background with miniscule numbers appearing and disappearing on it every millisecond. On the low-center of the screen was a loading bar with "Deciphering: 20%" on top of it, the bar's length increasing with every rise in percentage. Kana nervously bit her nails, fervently praying that they would succeed this time. Yura and many others had tried to hack into ATS' database many times but the system had always shut down on its own or a bug had been introduced.

"We may just make it this time," Yura whispered, eyes trained to the screen "I got a new anti-virus software downloaded. We might just" her eyes turned to Kana "make it." The brunette nodded towards her.

The bar was very close to being fully loaded now; 70%. Everyone watched in attention, nervously praying that the system didn't shut down again. If they_ did_ manage to hack, then it would be a ground-breaking discovery for the Svet. Information on the ATS was always valued, no matter how trivial.

_Maybe,_Kana thought, _We can finally live on the surface._

The bar was on 92% now. Awashima grinned. "We can do it!" he cheered.

94%. "Come on." whined Yura, biting her thumb.

96% Itaku stared at it with impassive eyes.

98% "A little more." muttered Tamazuki.

99% "Yes, yes." Kana breathed, a smile slowly lighting up her face.

However, there was a loud whir and random numbers began appearing on the screen, fading and coming back, fading and coming back. The bar started blinking red and Yura cursed "Shit!" under her breath before grabbing the laptop and typing furiously. However, she hissed as soon as she touched the metallic object, her dainty fingers mildly scalded.

Itaku's eyes widened in realization. "Get away!" he yelled, grabbing Kana and Awashima and pushing them to a distance. 'DANGER! DANGER!' appeared on the blinking red screen and in the moment of confusion, Kana activated her barrier to make it surround her and her friends. And soon, within a few seconds, a small explosion occurred as the shiny, metallic laptop burst into countless pieces, hardware flying all over the room. The barrier repelled any pieces coming towards the five teens but a small fire had broken out on the wooden table.

Itaku was gone and back in a second with a bucket full of water which he quickly poured onto the small fire. After repeating the process 5 times, the mini-flame was soon out and everyone breathed in relief, staring at the desk which was only mildly burned.

"We might just make it this time, huh?" Tamazuki sneered at Yura.

"Shut up," she hissed, her chocolate colored eyes glinting angrily. "Just shut the fuck up."

"I," panted Awashima, pointing at the broken pieces of metal on the burnt table "Am NEVER going near a laptop again."

The librarian, who emerged up from behind the desk surprisingly unscathed, continued filing her nails as she emotionlessly informed, "That desk is gonna cost 30 Sventers."

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At 4'o' clock, school finally ended. The Ienaga sisters slowly trudged their way home, dismal expressions looming on their faces. The route they took was a shortcut; people rarely used it which was the main reason why they preferred it over other routes. The bright lights in the underground city had now taken on a dimmer tone, balancing the shadowy evenings in the surface world. After silence inhabited their sphere, Yura finally spoke "I was so close."

Kana stared at her sister sadly and tried to smile but it came out broken and sad. "Don't worry" she said in a soft, encouraging tone "I'm sure you'll be able to do it next time."

"When will next time come?" the raven-head asked in a low voice, her messy bangs shadowing here yes. Disappointment and sadness laced her voice. "I'm tired of . . . of waiting for next time." She stared at Kana, chocolate eyes holding a neutral look. "When will next time ever come, Kana?"

The brunette honestly didn't know what to reply with, for the second time that day, so she just averted her gaze, instead staring at the similar, concrete roads which lined Yume. Closing her eyes, she imagined the fresh-smelling, grassy fields of Hakuuryu, leaves dusted with dewdrops. The earth had felt so good beneath her bare feet back then.

And when the image suddenly turned into a blood-bathed field, Kana immediately shook her head, snapping her eyes open.

Silence seemed to be a comforting friend for the two girls, who were used to its companionship by now. The silences they shared were of many types; uncomfortable, serene, tensed, angry, happy, content, confusing, fearful. But this silence was something of its own accord, something unclassified.

Home wasn't too far away from school. After a mere 15 minutes, the sisters had turned on the knob of the Ienaga household, Kana slightly annoyed at the door being unlocked. She was sure she'd reminded Kyokotsu many times to lock the door after letting herself in. The smell of freshly burnt incense sticks floated in the air, placed before the photo of Grandpa Sodemogi. Yura gave a short bow in his direction before taking off her sneakers and going upstairs while Kana stood in front of the photo for awhile, hands joined in prayer.

_Dear Grandpa, please watch over us from Heaven, if it exists. We're doing well, trying our best to get back Kejoro-nee-chan from the pub. School's okay, Itaku and Awashima are still being dunderheads,_she giggled, _and Tamazuki is still being rude. Yura remains tensed nowadays so please help her loosen up. Also, watch over Kyokotsu and everyone else, we need your blessings. We're still trying to live in the surface world, Grandpa, and hope our dream is fulfilled someday. We miss you. Take care of us._

Sound of running water escaped from the kitchen and Kana walked in, only to see a tall figure with womanly curves and long, flowing brown hair in a messy ponytail bent over the sink. "I would've washed the dishes, nee-chan," she said, walking towards the eldest sister of the Ienaga household "You didn't need to take the trouble."

Kejoro turned back with a cheerful smile on her face and greeted "Ah, you're back early today, Ka-chan!" Kana noticed she was in her work uniform which consisted of an extremely short, black leather skirt, a white shirt with sleeves folded and top three buttons open (to show her ample cleavage) and three-inch stilettos. A solemn expression immediately settled on Kana's face.

"You came home quite late yesterday," Kana said, folding her hands behind her head as Kejoro washed the dishes. The next thing was quite difficult to say. "Nee-chan," the brunette said in a strained voice "You don't have to work so hard. I and Yura earn enou-"

She gave a small yelp as a bowl was brought crashing down to her head, not with enough force to break it but to give a small thud. "Now go set the table," Kejoro ordered, handing the younger girl the utensils "I'll bring the soup."

Kana just nodded as she hesitantly walked towards the table, setting the dinnerware in place. Five chairs were aligned beside the wooden structures but the one on the right-hand side had been unoccupied since the past five years. Smiling fondly at it, as happy memories occupied her mind, the brunette walked upstairs to call Yura and Kyokotsu for dinner.

But before she could leave the dining room, she heard her sister call out for her. "Ka-chan?" said Kejoro, spooning rice into the bowls.

"Yes?" said Kana, stopping at the doorway.

Kejoro, who'd been looking down with her face shadowed, looked up and smiled gratefully at Kana. "Thank you."

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Two figures ran through a dark alleyway in Tokyo, looking behind them every few seconds to make check if their perpetrators were still after them or not. Heavy breaths and loud footsteps echoed through the dark, smelly alley, bouncing off the broken, graffiti-painted walls. The footsteps that had pursued them for a good many minutes now had disappeared, their heavy breaths and beating hearts the only sound that occupied the cold night air.

"Are they gone?" the younger one of the two asked, his eyes warily looking around as he waited for an answer from his companion.

The older just smoothed back his chin-long hair and panted "Don't know." He and his companion listened for a few more minutes before the older one sighed in relief and said "It's silent. I think they're gone for-"

Tsubasa, who'd still been scanning around the place, turned to stare at his partner when the latter stopped speaking. "Suguru?" he questioned, looking towards his friend. But anything he was about to say just died on his lips, his eyes mirroring the horror of the scene before him.

Suguru, the older boy, collapsed to the ground, the blade of a kukri knife poking out of his back. Tsubasa slowly stepped back, staring at the murdered body of his dead friend who was slowly drowning in a pool of crimson blood. Tsubasa's knees started shaking badly and not noticing a small stone behind him; he slipped and fell on his butt.

He'd closed his eyes for a few seconds in pain but as soon as he opened them, his terrified orbs were faced by two figures. A tall, slender man bent down over Suguru's body before mercilessly pulling the kukri out, splattering the dead boy's blood on the road. Another figure, right beside the tall man, stood on all fours, tongue panting out like a dog as he stared at Tsubasa with what seemed an expression of sadistic amusement.

The tall man seemed to stare at Tsubasa with crimson eyes of an uncontaminated shade before his lips turned up into a cruel smirk. "Well, well," he spoke in a voice that seemed to be mixed with the sweetness of honey "What do we have here?" Tsubasa thought he saw the dog-boys hair stiffen and his eyes glow with excitement. "Did you think you could run forever, my precious little Svet?"

_ATS,_Tsubasa thought in horror. _But_ _how . . . ., _however, before Tsubasa could even complete his sentence, the kukri came flying towards him at an unnatural speed, giving him barely time to dodge. But just as he'd rolled over, a second kukri came at him, chopping off his right hand at the wrist.

"ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!" Tsubasa screamed in pain, clutching the bloody mess of his hand. The crimson-eyed man jumped at him but the Svet activated his powers . . . . and vanished into thin air.

"Dammit" cursed the man, taking out a katana from the sheath tied to his waist. His companion was also on alert now, jumping around, trying to search the alley for the little Svet. After a few minutes of examination, he ordered, "Inugami, smell him out." The dog-boy woofed in response, using his nose to sniff the air. And not before long, he'd caught a strong smell of the Svet's blood in the near distance.

"There, Captain!" said Inugami, rushing towards the left of the alley. The crimson-eyed man followed his comrade, his katana poised out to attack. As Inugami and he disappeared in a small branch of the alley, Tsubasa inched out of the nearby dustbin. He was panting heavily, having tied a piece of his torn shirt to his bleeding wrist. He had barely evaded them by wrapping his cut off hand in his blood-soaked jacket and throwing it in the other alley.

Getting up on shaky knees, Tsubasa kept up his invisibility barrier, which not only shielded his physical body but also his other sensory perceptions like smell. Walking out of the alley, he muttered "I must . . . . . reach Yume . . ."

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**So now I shall copy my friends and post review replied AFTER the chapter.**

**To Princess: Thank you! And the first 12 chapters of POL WERE a grammar horror? Remember the 'cord was cute'? XD I kind of planned Yura to be even younger but then . . . Nah. And yes, Itaku and Awashima can be dunderheads at times.**

**To Rose: You're second. Princess is first. But CONGRATS!**

**You don't like the . . . . clothing?**

**Well, you're already on the dark side so no use bribing you.**

**Kana is kinda clumsy (like canon).**

**Like you and Dreamer? XD**

**YOU'RE OLD!**

**I WILL MAKE THIS AN ANIME! When I'm old enough. And you better make Puppeteer one too!**

**How many loves do you have again? -_-;**

**We shall see who'll win . . . we shall see . . . .**

**Kappa isn't that old.**

**Most of the people are like that.**

**The first reviewers don't get awards so don't get so worked up ._. . . . . .**

**To Random: Everyone shall be mentioned soon!**

**To Nay-kun: *perverted grin***

**More like a Svet-cave**

**THOUGHT OF THEM MYSELF! *puffs out chest in pride***

**An 'adopted' family but a family nonetheless QwQ**

**It will happen to you too someday . . .**

**To Fede: Thank you! I'll try my hand at comedy more . . . .**

**With Yura and Tamazuki, it will more likely be a . . . . what was the word again?**

**She doesn't use it. She EXCELS in it.**

**Not really but . . . . kinda. ARE YOU A MIND READER?!**


	4. Chapter 3 - Hush-Hush

**~ Appreciation Corner ~**

**Special thanks to Gold Moonlight, Lord Nayrael, Dennou Writer, Rose Rain 7, A random person, Fede 194, Winged Clouds of Strife and Lady of Gray for following this story.**

**Beta-ed by "Princess" Gold Moonlight. **

**Ch. 3 – Hush-Hush**

_There are no winners in life . . . . . only survivors._

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Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains falling directly on her face, as she dug her head deeper into the pillow, trying to protect her eyes from the blinding light. Beside the figure lay several thick books, pages open and wrinkled. The vision of her sleepy blue eye groggily fell on the calendar opposite to her bed – and when her vision cleared and she had a lucid look at the date, her body shot up, fear and adrenaline pumped into her veins.

27th July; the day of her entrance exams. Her eyes then made their way towards the digital clock which hung on the opposite wall, taunting her with its hands and numbers.

8:29 a.m.

The girl clumsily scrambled out of bed on her hands and knees, unluckily getting tangled in her blanket and falling (quite roughly) on the floor. She groaned in pain, rubbing her sore elbows, before her mind cruelly flashed the date to her and she got up once more, crushing the blanket into a ball and throwing it on the bed. Tying up her dark locks of hair into a messy bun, she rushed to the only bathroom the small apartment contained.

Locking the door, she took out a small tube of toothpaste and her brush before squeezing the tube (it was considerably flattened out) with significant strength until a miniscule amount of white paste hung out. Closing the tube, she started brushing her teeth hurriedly, staring into the broken mirror at her distorted reflection. There were heavy bags under her eyes (which contrasted heavily against the pallid complexion of her face); her eyes themselves looked bloodshot and tired and there was stiffness in her limbs.

In other words, not the best day for her.

Spitting out the fluid, she opened the steel water tap, before cupping the cold liquid and rinsing her mouth. She applied large amounts of water to her face (she had no time for a shower) before getting out of the bathroom and rushing into her own room.

Rummaging through the two small drawers of clothes she owned, the girl picked out a pair of three-quarter brown cotton pants, a half-sleeved black T-shirt and a sleeveless denim jacket. They were not her favorite clothes but the fire had burned everything else (she involuntarily shivered); so she didn't have much of a choice.

Her eyes flickered to the clock again. 8: 37 a.m. She had to hurry.

After scrambling into her creased clothes, the girl ran a comb quickly through her long, messy hair (it was getting rough; she had to buy a conditioner soon) and picking up a large, stocky sling bag that contained her certificates and other documents, exited her room. Instead of walking out of the door, she walked into the small kitchen where the sight of fly-infested dishes on the table greeted her. Shooing away the repulsive bugs, she put the dirty utensils in the cracked sink for later on before putting the pan on high and placing two pieces of toast on it.

Making a trip to the tiny fridge (it was a miracle the old piece of technology STILL worked), she opened the door and took out a small packet of stale chocolate biscuits, an egg and a bottle of milk. Chugging down the milk and biscuits, she removed the bread from the pan, put it on a plate and cracked the egg in the pan again. Opening a small cupboard, she rummaged for the salt shaker – only to find a miniscule amount of the white commodity.

"So many things to buy yet so less money" she sighed, putting a calculated amount of salt on the fried egg. "Making ends meet is getting harder every day." After placing the ready egg on the plate with the bread, she covered it with another plate and placed it on the dining table before walking towards another bedroom at the opposite side of the hall.

Her mom's room.

Peeking in through the slightly ajar door, the girl saw a figure lying on the bed sheets, tangled up in a white mess. The sound of gentle snoring filled the otherwise silent air and the putrid stench of cigarette smoke combined with alcohol floated into her nostrils. Scowling at the foul smell, she shook her head before closing the door and walking out of the house, grabbing her bicycle keys on the way.

Life had sure been a bitch since the day the fire had occurred.

The lovely summer sun hung up high in the sky, bathing the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo in bright, borderline hot rays. Tsurara Oikawa rushed down the stairs of the small, run-down apartment she and her mother lived in, hoping she wouldn't run into the gay landlord that owned the place. They were a little behind on their payment but if she passed this exam, she could pay the three month due rent complete with interest!

Thankfully, the landlord was nowhere in sight and Tsurara rushed into the tiny, dusty garage used by the inhabitants. She still felt slightly sleepy, due to having spent almost the whole of last night cramming but she knew she would manage and hopefully, pass the exams as well.

Being an optimist was Tsurara's only saving grace.

Behind a few scooters and a lone Tata Nano, stood a shiny, dark blue bicycle, almost of the same shade as her hair with a snowflake pattern on its steel body. Tsurara felt a gleeful smile erupt on her face as she inspected her only prized possession, running her small hands over it with tender care a mother would feel for her child. This had been gifted to her six years ago, on her 14th birthday, when life had still been sunshine and fruitcakes.

_I can revert back to my old life if I pass this exam,_she reminded herself, getting on her bicycle and speeding out of the garage, onto the main road. The early morning hustle-bustle of Tokyo seemed at its peak, with schoolgirls in sailor uniforms, smart clerks in business suits, your regular salary man and a variety of vehicles inhabiting the congested roads. However, the small bicycle, with expert ease, squeezed through the narrowest nook and cranny.

_I have to hurry!_Tsurara reminded herself, staring at the Tom and Jerry wristwatch she owned. It was 8:58 a.m and the exam started at 9:15 a.m, with her destination still kinda a long way. She dodged an incoming cyclist and two speeding cars, muttering "People nowadays" under her breath. Stopping at the red-light signal, she hummed impatiently under her breath, tapping her black painted nails edgily on the shiny black handle-bars of her cycle. As she waited, a biker stopped beside her, whistling at her.

Tsurara glared at him from the corner of her eye, very well used to people of his kind; disgusting perverts who would stare at any pretty girl they encountered with a dirty eye. She'd beat up many of them back in high school but right now, since she was low on time, she just decided to give him a withering look. From the hem of his helmet, she could see shabby, black-hair ends peeking out and attached to his sweaty nape. A narrow blue eye, cocky and arrogant, winked at her before speeding on its way.

Tsurara gritted her teeth, a low gurgle escaping her throat as she glared after him. The light was still red; perfect. So not only was this dude a perverted rapist who'd just eye-molested her, he was also a cocky and rule-breaking rascal who thought the police had time to waste on him! She just couldn't stand people like him!

She noticed the traffic police blow out their whistles for him before getting on their own mopeds and rushing after that black biker. The light finally turned green and Tsurara hurriedly started pedaling once more, trying to drown out the feelings of disgust and hatred she felt towards that dude in her thoughts about the test. She yelped when she the time; 9:02 a.m. SHE ONLY HAD FREAKING 13 MINUTES!

_And 13 is an unlucky number._

The sun seemed to grow hotter over the minute, glaring down at her with full intensity. She enviously stared at the rich ladies who passed her in their AC-ventilated Aston Martins and Mercedes, sighing under her breath for the umpteenth time that day. A cyclist almost crashed into her, a dog started barking and chasing after her when she accidentally rode over its tail (it wasn't her fault! Why was the stupid dog sleeping on the road anyway?), her elbow started hurting from the little mishap in the morning and the sun just got hotter.

_Why am I so unlucky?_She internally whined since saying it out loud would make her look like an insane loon; which she really did not want. However, spotting a familiar building in the distance, the frustration and annoyance that resided in her heart was rather brutally replaced with nervousness and a feeling of vicious paranoia. For in the distance, just a few meters away, towering over other buildings was . . . . .

. . . . The A.T.S Tower.

A massive skyscraper comprising of 40 floors, the A.T.S Tower was a huge building with tinted glass walls and a large, spiraling needle on its rooftop. It cast a large shadow over the Tokyo roads and was one of the largest buildings in Tokyo. Tsurara's cycling slowed down as she realized **this **was the place she was seeking a job in.

{After the arrival of the dangerous species known as Svets on Earth 73 years ago, a certain General} Tsurara forgot his name {created a squad of specially-trained officers and called his squad the ATS (An-Ti-Svet). Although in its initial years it comprised of only a 1000 or so soldiers, its popularity soon grew and the idea travelled to other countries.

{In the 20th century, with various developments in technology, the ATS grew more efficient and a single team could wipe out entire towns. It'd spread over 150 countries and according to calculations, 3/5ths of the Svet population had been massacred.

But that was when things grew more dangerous.}

"If you just keep on standing here instead of going in, you're gonna miss your exams" a quiet, matured voice snapped Tsurara out of her history lesson. Turning back, she saw no one in sight until there was a tap on her back.

"Eeeeeeekkk!" an embarrassing squeal escaped her lips and she jumped back in fear, hands poised to attack. However, seeing a teenage boy, much younger and shorter than her staring at her with curious eyes, she blushed in embarrassment and lowered her hands. _How did he manage to sneak up on me like that?!_

"I'm sorry if I scared you" the boy apologized, brushing his long, black bangs "But you were standing there, blankly staring at the tower and since you look young, I thought you were one of the examinees too." Confidence and wisdom rung in his tone.

"A-Ah, I see" Tsurara replied, awkwardly smiling. People were staring after her after her previous reaction. "W-Well yes, I'm an examinee actually."

The boy nodded and stared at his wristwatch. "We'd better hurry up. The exam is gonna start in three minutes."

"E-Eh?!" Tsurara yelped, staring at her own wristwatch. He was right. The time was already 9:12 a.m. "L-Let's hurry!" the 20-year old broke in a jog with her new friend walking coolly beside her.

AS the two climbed up the steps of the tower together, Tsurara decided to start up a conversation. "So what's your name?" she asked, with a friendly smile on her face.

The boy gave her a placid gaze and replied "Kazuma Hinata. Yours?"

"Tsurara Oikawa." The two entered through the large, glassy doors which were automatically controlled. Inside, the strong A.C provided them much-needed relief from the hot, sweltering heat outside. Tsurara sighed in relief but her happiness was only short lived – the corridors were HUMONGOUS with very few people in sight to ask for directions and there were only two minutes left for their exams.

"W-What do we do now?" Tsurara nervously asked, turning to the boy beside her – or the boy who _had _been beside her just a few seconds ago. "H-Hinata-san?" she stuttered, panicking, hoping he hadn't left her all alone in this massive, scary building.

"Could you tell us where the exam room is located?" she heard the familiar calm voice ring out and turned to her left to see Kazuma at the receptionist's desk. And at that moment, Tsurara felt like the biggest fool in the entire universe.

The receptionist, a pretty woman in her twenties, said in an equally sweet voice "Oh! It's on the 2nd floor, first door on the right and it has a board stating 'Examination Hall' on the door! But you'd better hurry up" she glanced at her wristwatch "You've only 1 minute left."

"Thank you" Kazuma gave a polite bow and walked towards an impatient Tsurara. Pointing towards the corridor, he said "This way." Tsurara gave a quick nod and hurriedly jogged towards the staircase. But noticing that her new friend was still walking at his leisurely pace, she could not help telling him to hurry up.

"We have to run or we're gonna get late!" she exasperatedly sighed, clearly panicking.

However, Kazuma seemed to be as relaxed and chilled out as a Foster's Beer. "Nah, don't worry" he disinterestedly waved his hand "A delay of a few minutes isn't gonna get us skewered."

But Tsurara clearly thought another way. "Whatever floats your boat! I'll get going first!" and with that, she ran up the stairs.

Kazuma blankly stared after her for a few minutes before entering the escalator which was situated just next to the stairs, pressed the second floor button and shot up.

"Ha . . . hu . . . ha . . . . hu . . . . . made . . . . it" Tsurara panted weakly, climbing up the marble-tiled steps until she finally reached a board which announced "2nd floor." Due to having run all the way up, she was excruciatingly tired (even though it was only 2 flights of stairs) and had seemingly no energy. But for all those kinds of emergencies when you needed instant energy – THE NUTRI-BAR!

"With this bar, I SHALL CONQUER THE WORLD-ER, EXAMS!" the pale beauty cheered, holding out a half-eaten packet of almond-dotted nutri-bar she'd picked up from the fridge. Swallowing it down in one big gulp, her jog soon turned into full-fledged running and she sped through the corridor, making many officers stare after her weirdly. However, realizing she'd crossed the examination room in her hyper-run, she was forced to hit reverse gear. "I'm already 7 minutes late!" she whined in self-pity, comical tears dropping out of her eyes in large blobs.

The corridors, now that she walked slowly through them, seemed to be massive and quite scary-looking, with the shades of a dull blue and dreary gray dominating the color-theme. There were no paintings or furniture or flower vases or _any _commodity but a long passage of winding corridors and endless steel doors, with an imposing aura, on either side of her. There were also no officers in the area – she was sure she'd passed at least a handful on her hyper-run – and for some reason, the corridors were deathly silent.

"I wonder if I'm on the wrong floor," she mumbled, rubbing her hands on her arms. She didn't know if it was just her but the temperature seemed to have . . . dropped. To remove her doubts, she came across a large notice declaring "2nd Floor" soon after. Tsurara regretted separating from Kazuma on the way up.

But suddenly, as she turned at an intersection, all her fear vanished.

For there was a large steel door on the right side of the walls, from within which a pale yellow light glowed, and right on top, in blinking red letters, were the comforting words "Examination Room." Tsurara gave a little squeal of delight and preparing a rational excuse for being 10 minutes late in her mind, practically skipped towards the door and swung it open.

"I'm sorry I'm-"

The words died on her lips.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mangled bodies.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blood everywhere.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dead eyes.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mouths hung wide.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At the extreme front of the room were people dressed in doctor's outfits – white masks, white gloves, and white lab-coats. They turned to look at Tsurara with confused expressions.

The dark-haired girl just stood motionless and horrified at the doorway, drinking in the massacre before her eyes. Her eyes once again travelled to the door – "Examination Room" still blinked away in bold red. She could feel the doctors staring at her and when she finally had control of her limbs, she turned back to run.

Only to crash into a large, imposing figure.

"Going somewhere?"

And a hideously ugly grin was the last thing she saw before getting knocked out.

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In the Ienaga household, the morning was going rather peaceful – before Awashima crashed through their front door, the wooden structure breaking off its hinges and cracking into two parts.

The sisters, who were busy eating breakfast, sighed in exasperation. "Kejoro-nee-chan isn't gonna be happy about it," she said, about to place her chopsticks and bowl down when-

"There isn't anything to be happy about today," Itaku appeared out of nowhere, snatched the brunette's chopsticks before they could kiss the table and had a piece of her fried eel popped into his mouth before she could even react.

"Kyokotsu, we need your help!" the black-head's blonde counterpart came rushing into the kitchen, a panicked look on his face.

"Whose ribs have you broken now?" the 10-year old snootily enquired. She disliked starting her mornings with a doctor's visit to someone (and she'd done LOADS of it, mind you).

"He doesn't _break_ ribs," Itaku butted in, eating blithely from a not amused Kana's bowl "He _grinds_ them into powder."

"Well, yes, that I do," Awashima said smugly until realization dropped in "But that isn't the point right here!"

"So why don't you get to the point instead of yelling like a monkey?" Yura snapped, taking a second helping of rice from the bowl.

Awashima growled at her but continued yelling "Tsubasa's hurt!"

"Who?" asked Kyokotsu, raising an eyebrow as she chomped on her boiled egg.

"Know that guy, the mousey one, who's in our school, 11th grade?" There were blank faces around the table.

"The shota guy who works with Kyuso sometimes? The one with shabby brown hair?" Itaku asked, finally letting Kana eat something as well. There was a chorus of "Oh, him!" around the table.

"Yeah, him!" Awashima grunted, getting increasingly annoyed. "His hand's been chopped off by some ATS bastard!"

Immediately, there was a clatter of utensils around the table. Kyokotsu, after a few minutes of staring, turned towards Itaku. "Ita-kun, take me to this dude." The raven-haired boy nodded, swept up Kyokotsu and soon disappeared in a fluff of wind. The kitchen door remained swinging open.


	5. Chapter 4 - Alterations

**~ Author's Note ~**

**I DEEPLY apologize for the late update. TT-TT BUT I HAVE A VALID EXCUSE! I broke my leg!**

**Not that it's something to brag about . . . . .**

**Beta Vanguard: If it was then it wouldn't be an excuse… *makes her sit down* I'll break the rest of you if it happens again DT Queen. :D**

**D.T: O_O *shivers***

**Special thanks to Hell Vanguard, Lord Nayrael, Dennou Writer, Rose Rain 7, A random person, Fede 194, Winged Clouds of Strife, Lady of Gray and OniKuShita for the support.**

**Ch. 4 – Alterations**

_Only dead fish go with the flow._

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It was a cold morning.

Rushing through the narrow streets of the Inugamigyobu Complex, Kana rubbed her hands on her arms in a desperate attempt to warm them up. Her pants came out in fog and reminding herself it was only the ending of August, she wondered how they were gonna survive the coming winter. With her ran Yura and Awashima, the former quite far as she tried to run fast, her new laptop clutched to her chest. Kana really wondered how the M.O had got a laptop so fast for Yura. _She must be really valuable to them._

The trio was approaching a rather seedy part of the Complex, the place where all the nightclubs and brothels were located. Even though it was morning, the sick smell of sex and alcohol was pungent in the air. All the bars were closed, the decorative lights that hung around their shabby frames switched off. Kana and the others passed by _Desired Sins – _the bar where Kejoro worked. The brunette shot a disapproving look at it and continued jogging further down the alley.

Tsubasa Kyuso – she'd seen that mousey boy a few times in school before. He wasn't hard to look at – he was quite a cutie actually. He was Seiya Kyuso's cousin and an important member of his gang. Kana had actually heard that he and his brother, Suguru, were skilled Scavengers and often got jobs that led them to the main market of Tokyo. Kana had never been to Tokyo's heart – she was always confined in missions that never bordered deeper than the outskirts or deserted areas.

The Kyusos lived in a rather large but shabby apartment with paint peeling off its walls. There was a large throng outside the house and Kana knew that Kyokotsu must've started her healing. No matter how many times the 10-year old did it, people just couldn't seem to stop marveling at her powers. The brunette stepped back as Awashima easily created a pathway through the crowd for her and Yura though people did not refrain from muttering in anger. But no one said anything in the blond's face – everyone was aware of his iron-strength.

From inside the house, low groans could be heard – that quickly accelerated to screams. "IT HURTS! STOP IT! STOP!" Tsubasa was held down on a bed by several people as he writhed uncontrollably, screaming his lungs out. Kyokotsu was beside him and Kana, no matter how many times she'd seen her sister perform miracles, could not help gasping in admiration. A low, golden light seemed to emerge from the 10 year old's palms as they surrounded Tsubasa's jagged, bloody wrist and opened their mouths in wonder and horror.

Kana, even after years of watching, could not properly describe the scene.

Miniscule little white crystals accumulated on Tsubasa's cut wrist, multiplying rapidly as they gave shape to a skeletal hand and fingers. Then, with the same rapid efficiency, small red crystals covered the skeletal structure, stretching from every nook and cranny as thin lines, which resembled the like that veins and arteries formed. Then, in the last step, flesh and skin soon stretched over the area and nails grew from the boy's fingers. Even after Kyokotsu had done her job, people continued stupidly staring, their mouths agape, at Tsubasa's hand. The brunet Tsubasa turned his hand round and round, staring at it as if it was some kind of alien object.

Kyokotsu got off the bed and with Itaku by her side, walked towards her friends. "Idiots," she muttered, throwing her thick mass of curly black hair over her tiny shoulders, "Even though they've seen me heal so many times, they still behave like it's some kind of magic trick."

"That's because your gift is pretty special, Kyo-chan" Awashima grinned as the gang proceeded to make their way back home. "Your healing techniques are pretty advanced."

"You're not feeling fatigued, are you?" Kana asked her sister worriedly. Even though Svets were blessed with incredible skills, there was a catch to every marvel; and in Kyokotsu's case, too much use of her powers made her feel fatigued and sometimes even rendered her unconscious.

"Nonsense," the 10-year old snootily remarked "Producing a hand isn't gonna adversely affect me."

"Careful, Kyokotsu," Yura remarked, voice stern. "Remember what happened last month? Too much pride can lead to your downfall."

"I had to heal major degree burns that time!" pouted the 10-year old. "Reproducing a hand is nothing compared to that!"

"Whatever you say, kiddo," Awashima grinned, patting the youngster's head. "Whatever you say." The 10-year old continued frowning, looking away with a small blush.

"Have the technicians found what virus blew your last laptop into bits?" asked Itaku, appearing beside Yura in a millisecond. Kana's face scrunched up in confusion momentarily before a look of curiosity and realization settled in. It was very mysterious, actually. What kind of virus could physically damage hardware like that? Either the Svets were extremely behind on the new kinds of technological developments that had occurred on the surface (which was highly unlikely) or the ATS was up to some illegal mischief again (which, considering their past deeds, was predictable).

"It was some kind of a hyperactive security lock," Yura explained, as the group finally trudged out of the narrow, suffocating lane. They soon passed _Desired Sins_and Kana couldn't help throwing one last look at it, a look filled with disgust and anger. But Yura's voice brought her back into reality. "Since it isn't available in the Tokyo markets _yet, _it must be something that the ATS have created for their personal use."

Kyokotsu, meanwhile, stared at the four teens with confused eyes. "What laptop?" she asked, voice demanding and straightforward.

"Yura again tried to hack into ATS' database," Itaku lied with a straight face, leaving out the details, "But this time, instead of just shutting down or not functioning, the piece of technology was blown into tiny bits." Kana really admired Itaku's ability to lie; she couldn't lie about a broken vase without getting caught.

"Pooh, pooh," Kyokotsu scrunched up her nose and disapprovingly shook her head. "You should know better than to attempt that all the time. ATS are no fools when it comes to all this." However, Yura remained impassive, deciding to ignore her adopted sister.

"So," Awashima started, putting his arms around Itaku and Kana "You guys got any plans for today?"

Itaku gave a blank stare at his bestie. "Dude, I live with you. Wherever you go, I follow." Kana merely shook her head.

"You taking us somewhere?" asked Kyokotsu, placing her hands on her hips.

Awashima's grin stretched across his face, reaching from eye-to-eye. He pulled out a few tickets from the pocket of his baggy pants. "Wanna go the surface world? I heard there's this really cool amusement park opening today. And I have tickets." He waved the rectangular pieces of paper for emphasis.

Kana's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the light blue tickets. Svets weren't allowed to visit the surface during the day due to security purposes. Though there was no physical difference between Svets and humans, after the formation of the ATS, there were regular DNA checkups in public places like malls, amusement parks, beaches and soldiers even knocked at homes sometimes for a checkup. 30 years ago, the ATS had invented a machine called the SDS {Svet DNA Scanner} and the availability of a single machine in international markets had accelerated Svet massacres by 75%.

Meanwhile, Yura was checking few things on her new laptop. "Well," the black-haired girl said, closing the device, "There's 32% probability of a DNA checkup happening today since there's a major exam for new AST recruitments." Kana shuddered at the thought of merciless new officers. "So I guess we could go."

Even if the DNA scans did not take place, the elders of Yume would be furious if they found out that the teenagers had sneaked out. _But if Tamazuki pulls a few strings here and there, which is easy considering his status and hypnotizing ability, we could easily get out and make it back, _mused Kana.

"GREAT!" Awashima punched a fist in the air and even Kyokotsu could not help smiling.

"I'll go inform Tamazuki," Itaku muttered, before disappearing in a flash. Awashima ran home too, possibly to get a few resources for their sneaky little trip and told the girls to meet them at the inner gates at 2:00 p.m.

"And while returning we could do a little scavenging as well!" Kana cheered, walking with a lilt in her step as she rushed home. The temperature seemed to have warmed and the brunette could not help feeling light-hearted and giddy from the good news.

"You mean stealing," Yura remarked rather brusquely, breaking through Kana's little sphere of happiness. Pouting momentarily at the young genius, the brunette shook her head and plastered a smile on her face. She would not let anything ruin this beautiful day.

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Was that monitor beeps she heard . . . .?

The entire room was shrouded in silence and darkness, the two going hand-in-hand like friends. She drifted in and out of consciousness, a part of her wanting to wake up while her lazy side wanted to rest forever. There was a dull throb in the back of her head but she could not remember why. Why . . . did her head ache . . .? Why . . . did something feel . . . so wrong?

A horrible grin flashed in front of her eyes.

Tsurara's eyes shot wide open, the blue orbs shifting around their dark surroundings like a cornered beast. She tried to sit up but as soon as she placed her hands on the bed in order to prop her body up, a sharp pain jolted through her muscles and she gave up her feeble attempts. Her rate of breathing increased and the beeps on the monitor increased in volume and speed as well, as she slowly turned her head to stare at the machine. Tsurara slowly looked down only to see several wires attached to her chest and arms.

Where was she . . .?

Scrunching her eyes shut, she tried to remember anything she possibly could about the past hours, praying she didn't have amnesia like what happened in movies. She remembered her name, Tsurara Oikawa, her mother's name, Setsura Oikawa, their shabby little apartment, blurry memories of her school life, the day she filled in forms for an ATS recruitment exam, the fire that took out her home and dad, last night when she crammed for the exam, the pervert who winked at her while she was on her way here, meeting Kazuma Hinata and . . .

The exam.

. . . Had she given the exam?

Tsurara slowly opened her confused dark blue orbs, moving her head to her left and right in order to have a clearer view of her surroundings. Squinting her eyes, she could see a few more beds scattered around the dark room but due to the absence of proper lighting, she could not clearly make out the figures that occupied the beds. Turning her head to stare up at the dark ceiling once again, she tried to recollect all her memories of the past two hours, precisely, the recruitment exams.

Why couldn't she remember sitting down for the exams . . . . .?

_Had_she given her exams?

Suddenly, a door, which she hadn't noticed before, opened, allowing light to stream in the dark room in thick rays. Looking ahead on the opposite side, Tsurara was conscious of someone's cold gaze on her but before she could probably make out the person's face, voices were heard muttering from the door. In reflex, she shut her eyes again, pretending to be asleep.

"Are they still asleep?" a masculine voice, thickly coated with a mixture of honey and cinnamon, floated into the silent room, breaking the monotony of beeping machines. Slowly peeking through her right eye, she could make out the outline of a few figures at the entrance of the room.

"Seems like they are," another male voice spoke, this one huskier than the previous one. "But it's time to wake them all up anyway. It's been nearly 4 hours."

_4 hours . . .?_thought Tsurara. _4 hours since what? _Suddenly, she felt someone's presence approach her bed and immediately relaxed her eyelids and stabilized her breathing, giving the aura of a sleeping person. She'd done it enough at home when she feigned to be asleep and unaware of her parents blatant arguments a long time ago.

She was conscious of someone's deep gaze upon her and her shell was just about to break when the shadow moved away from her, allowing light to freely fall on her face once more. Cautiously opening an eye, the only distinct thing she could make out of the person was double-colored hair, thick and gourd-like. It was an unusual hairstyle, one she'd never seen before. It somewhat bordered on shabby and protruded from one side of the person's head.

Why did it feel like she'd seen this hairstyle somewhere before?

. . . Oh, shit.

Without warning, all the lights in the dark room were switched on, momentarily blinding Tsurara, who'd grown used to the dim atmosphere. She heard a manly groan sound from the left side of her bed but refrained from turning her head. However, when she heard someone clapping and shouting, "Get up, examinees!" she was forced to open her eyes. And her blue orbs immediately collided with vicious red orbs of the gourd-haired person.

Or she should rather say, Rikuo Nura; "Hell's Angel", as he was fondly known amongst the crowd. The officer who held the record for the largest number of Svets killed in the shortest period of time. _What in the name of Kami is he doing out here? _She immediately averted her gaze out of intimidation.

This time, as Tsurara tried to get up, she had no problems moving. Her muscles felt perfectly fine and she could even rotate her shoulder blades without feeling any sharp jolts of pain. Looking around, she counted exactly seven people in the room except her; but the nerve-racking fact about that was she was the only female present. But noticing her friend (if she could even call him that) Kazuma Hinata in a corner of the room, who just waved at her blankly, she felt some comfort bloom in her flustered heart.

"Where the fuck are we?" she heard a pissed-of voice, probably directed towards Rikuo Nura and the pale-looking man beside him, rather brusquely soar over the room. Looking at the direction of the person to pose the rude question (who conveniently sat facing her on the other side of the room) she was greeted by a displeased frown and angry blue eyes (or blue eye, she should rather say since one of his eyes was covered by a fringe of black hair). The boy turned to look at her and smirked.

And that was how she immediately recognized him as the pervert who winked at her at the traffic section hours ago. She had no definite proof of it but the smirk felt too familiar to be ruled out.

"Good question," the pale man, Rikuo Nura's companion, spoke in a stern tone, "But it could've been better phrased." The rude pervert only scowled in response. "You all," he spread his arms, gesturing to the five people with wires sticking to their bodies, "Are the only people who passed the exams."

"I don't even remember giving the exam," Kazuma Hinata's quiet, impassive voice floated in the air. Looking at everyone's expression of agreement, he added, "I don't think any of us do." _Thank God I'm not the only one with short-term memory loss, _Tsurara sighed in relief. She also noticed Rikuo Nura's eyes narrowing at the statement.

"That's because all of you have been given anesthetic injections which result in partial memory loss." Seeing the cluster of raised eyebrows and confused expressions, the pale man sighed and explained, "You all may not remember this but the exams required intensive physical training, exhausting mental aptitude questions and various other tests." Tsurara and a few just nodded in realization. "Even though the five of you were the only ones to pass out with flying colors, apparently, the pain and exhaustion was so great that you were given anesthetic injections which resulted in an hour of partial memory loss for you."

"Which is why these wires are stuck on us and shit," a burly brunet, with rippling muscles and a gangster aura, said as he looked around his brawny arms.

"And why we don't remember giving the exam," said a shabby-haired blond, looking insightful as he stared blankly at the floor. The pale man only nodded in agreement. Tsurara turned to look at the only person in the room who hadn't spoken yet, besides her; a teenage looking boy with spiky, silver hair who stood behind Rikuo Nura. The creepy smile on his face put her off and she turned away.

"By the way," Rikuo Nura stepped forward, before a cold smirk broke on his face, "As you all may know, I'm Rikuo Nura," everyone turned to stare at him and the burly guy gasped, as if noticing his presence for the first time. Even the rude pervert and shabby blond had surprised expressions on their faces. Only Kazuma seemed to be impassive. _Did they really just notice him? _Thought Tsurara in surprise.

Ignoring the expected reactions, he continued speaking, "The AST recruitments were for a personal squad led by me – the S-Squad." Everyone was even further unhinged by the statement; working under one of the most sadistic AST officers in history was no easy job and Tsurara was cursing the day she decided to give the exams. "The S-squad is a new squad of officers gifted with special abilities and we're gonna be one of the main offenders in the war against those despicable Svets. At the moment, only I and Inugami," he gestured to the silver-haired boy beside him, who beamed at everyone, "are members of the S-squad. But now, all of you are joining as well."

The rude pervert and burly man groaned in pain but no one could complain. It was according to the constitution followed by the AST that new recruitments could be placed in any squad the officers desired (except for exceptionally skilled ones; they got to choose their own squads). Most new officers preferred to get in the Ultra squad; where the most elite were placed. The Ultra squad not only had a high pay and various government facilities; they only had to get in action during severe emergencies.

_But the S-squad is still better than the Hunter squad,_Tsurara shivered. The Hunter squad; it consisted of the weakest officers or inmates who were on death row. Luck was the only thing you needed in plenty to survive the Hunter squad; this squad was the one who were used as baits or decoys deployed to Svet areas. Out of a 100, usually only a handful survived from this squad during each mission.

"I think you mentioned some supposedly 'special abilities'?" questioned Kazuma's quiet voice, as he stared at Rikuo with an expressionless but mildly curious face. And for some reason, a smirk bloomed on the red-eyed man's face.

"Ah, that is the best part about this squad," he spoke in an elated voice, awakening the curious beast in everyone. "But I'm afraid I'll have to leave that part for my friend," he put an arm around the pale man, "Dr. Zen to explain since I have to run on very important business now." Tsurara noticed that the pale man _was _dressed in the attire of a doctor with a white pharmacist coat and a stethoscope around his neck. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I must leave." As the red-eyed man turned to leave, he turned around once more, "I expect you all to report to my office tomorrow morning sharp at 8:00 a.m, dressed in proper uniform." Everyone nodded. "Oh, and make sure your hair is properly tied." he left with a parting shot to a surprised Tsurara.

The silver-haired boy, before following his leader, bowed and beamed cheerfully at the freaked out five new officers. "It was a pleasure to meet you all and I hope we all can be great friends! Woof!" he said and rushed out.

Everyone was left weirdly staring after him. "Man, did he just woof?" the rude pervert turned to the brawny brunet who just shrugged. However, their attention was once again taken by a cough from Dr. Zen.

"Now, about those powers," said the pale man, looking around at everyone's stiffened expressions. "This is gonna be a long explanation."


End file.
